Based on talent and depth alone, Bama should win big on Friday. That being said, (and putting my Auburn hat down for a second) - I wonder what the climate in Tuscaloosa would be like on Saturday if Auburn pulled off an upset.

The initial (and more likely) situation of Auburn losing is very clear. Bama goes on to play Florida in the SEC Championship for the right to play in the BCS Title Game. Auburn, after being expected to lose, goes on to hopefully win a mid-tier bowl game and rolls into the off-season with the expectation of a very good recruiting haul going into Year 2 of the rebuilding. Very realistic scenario, and very much expected.

The reverse is a lot murkier - and for good reason. Although, it would be VERY interesting to see how it would shake out. I'm honestly curious how much of a blow it would be to the rising fervor of Bama Nation if that did happen. I mean what would the fan reaction be like, what would the recruiting situation be like, what would happen to the "changing of the guard" that has been assumed in-state over the past year and a half? What would the national perception be like in regards to Bama?

Not trying to stir the pot - I'm honestly just curious as to what would happen in that scenario. I'm sure I'll get a lot of comments about how that will never happen- blah blah blah...i'm a barner...whatever. But seriously, any thoughts as to what you guys think?

I totally agree with Coach Dye. I'm a TT fan, and am very appreciative for what he did on the Plains. But even owning Bama for the majority of the past decade doesn't take away from the fact that the recruiting never got the major bump it should have gotten after the 2004 season. When you have a season like that, you need to make it translate into a recruiting boon for at least a couple of years...and he didn't do that.

Nick Saban, as much as we all (Bama and Auburn fans alike) know that he's a short term rental, has forged a solid reputation from the fact that he can make a good year on the field turn into gains in early February. Chizik is as motivated as anyone to have his staff recruit like beasts these next 2-3 years - and he has a great school in the best conference to sell from. Dye knows what he's doing - keep Auburn fans in check, and if Coach Chizik rolls out a 9 or 10 win season in the next year or two...well, then it's a bonus. The key will be building depth on a squad that has little to none as of right now.

War Eagle no matter what happens on Friday. Auburn's program is bigger than one game. Give Bama credit for going out and getting a coach like Saban to resurrect a program that was falling apart over the course of the past 15 years. Although he's easy to despise because of his rent-a-coach aura, he has done an admirable job of turning Bama's once-laughable program around. The question will be, how long will he be around - and is his replacement really going to keep that program at that same level that he's seemingly gotten them to the past year and a half?

Come on guys, Bama fan, Auburn fan, LSU fan - who cares. It's obvious this was a critical blown call. Goodness knows every team has benefited from blown calls, non-calls, etc, etc. Mistakes in officiating happen all the time - no matter what the team. It is interesting and ironic though that Bama benefited from controversies involving officials in two of their tightest games of the year though (LSU and UT). Not sure this is a conspiracy to keep an SEC team undefeated, but it is frustrating for the losing teams to know that they weren't on an even playing field when it came to these calls.

Roof is a good coach and a good recruiter. Auburn is the most notable school he's coached at - so I would like to think that given a couple recruiting classes, he's going to put together a stout defense. That being said, with the no-huddle quick strike offense in place, the defense will still be on the field a lot more than it has in our ball-control run-first offense of years past. The D WILL give up more points by this fact alone - although having more depth will help alleviate this. WDE

...and still no one cares about the World Series. Here I am watching Backdraft on Encore instead of NY vs. Philly. Watching baseball becomes brutal once CFB is in full swing, much less watching this match up. Even the NFL sucks compared to CFB.

Definitely need to keep McCalebb in the stable for another week. AU will need him to provide a home run threat for Amen Corner. I don't expect the Tigers to lose much athleticism at all with Demond at safety in Zac's place - although Zac will be missed in more than a couple ways. I think the fans should be thankful that the redshirt wasn't taken off Rollison this season. Going into the opener, that was still a question mark.

Anything can happen in a rivalry game. The biggest enemy for Auburn in this year's IB is their severe lack of depth - and that greatly swings the odds in favor of Alabama. That being said, playing with little expectation of winning can bring out the best in a well-coached team (emphasis on well-coached)...

I agree - every team should fight through every game (especially a rivalry game). I just think Auburn fans should be realistic when evaluating this season. Don't get me wrong - they should root their tails off that Friday after Thanksgiving - just understand that an 8 win season would be great considering all that transpired last year. The most promising aspect about this year for Auburn is the fact that they seem very much on track for an outstanding recruiting class.

If Auburn can take out Furman and UGA, then this season is a success. Even so, that Ole Miss win sure put a brakes on a potentially disastrous finish. It will be interesting to see how much pressure the D-line can produce the last couple of games - since that was the difference maker for the Tiger D last week.